


i'm sorry i didn't call earlier

by sebootyslay



Series: avengers fragments [5]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, I'm Sorry, Post-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Short Drabble, friends!stony, this doesn't have a happy ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-11
Updated: 2018-09-11
Packaged: 2019-07-10 22:36:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,384
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15959006
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sebootyslay/pseuds/sebootyslay
Summary: He’ll never have the chance to call, and yell to that stupidly handsome, stubborn son of a bitch how hurt he was, and how dare he thinks that he will ask him for help if anything happens, and how betrayed he felt when he just left him there at Siberia because he almost died.And how despite all that, he wants to yell into Captain Fucking America’s ears that he needs him right now.





	i'm sorry i didn't call earlier

**Author's Note:**

> inspired by an artwork from tumblr that i found but i can't find it now so i can't show you guys dammit

Tony sat still. He closed his eyes and heaved a heavy breath. It is done. Nothing can change it. Thanos had done it, and he couldn’t stop him.

_It was the only way_

Was it? Was it the only way, Stephen? Tony felt pain in his chest. Did the wizard spare him for this? To feel this pain? To watch everyone fade away into dust? To hold on to Peter as he crumbles in his own arms, eyes pleading to not leave? What was the point to all of this?

“We must go back.” He heard Nebula say behind him. “I think I can drive the Guardian’s ship.” He felt a metal hand on his shoulder. “We need to get you home.” Her voice said gently. Home? Where is home?

“Home?” Tony asked.

“Earth. We need to get you back to Earth.” She repeated. Tony still sat down, unable to move. Should he go home? What’s left of home, anyways? Tony doesn’t think he could handle whatever is back at home. Something beeped on Tony’s armor. He looked down. Oh, oxygen level is going down.

“Huh. Guess I’m slowly dying here.”

“Thanos destroyed so much that it disturbed space and this planet’s atmosphere. Come now, we need to get on the ship before we die here.”

“Maybe I want to die.” He mumbled. Nebula tried not to snap Tony’s neck. Instead, she settled with dragging the Tony by the back of his shirt. For a woman, she has incredible strength, Tony thought. Well, she isn’t a human woman and wait, is she even a woman? These thoughts swam around Tony’s head as his legs dragged along the dirt of Titan’s grounds. He finally staggered up when they reached the ship and let himself in.

Nebula seemed to know what she was doing, and she was clicking all sorts of stuff. Tony didn’t want to care. He just wants to lie down and forget that everything happened. Maybe take a nap. Perhaps when he wakes up, this will all be a dream and he’ll be in bed with Pepper next to him. He’ll still have Rhodey yelling at him to hurry up and get his ass to a Congress meeting. He’ll keep tabs on Peter through Happy. Dummy will still try to get him to accidentally drink motor oil. He will keep on looking at the small out-of-date flip phone with only Steve’s name on it, debating whether he should call or not, or whether he should destroy that thing.

Steve.

Is he still alive? Or did he also disappear? _Oh god, what if he disappeared_? Tony will never have the chance to call then. He’ll never have the chance to call, and yell to that stupidly handsome, stubborn son of a bitch how hurt he was, and how dare he thinks that he will ask _him_ for help if anything happens, and how sorry he was, and how he didn’t mean to hurt Barnes but part of him means it, and how betrayed he felt when he just left him there at Siberia because he almost died.

And how despite all that, he wants to yell into Captain Fucking America’s ears that he _needs_ him right now. Everything is so warped and confusing and is hurting him and he needs Steve’s comfort. He needs that stupid smile on his perfect face, and his hands patting his back while saying ‘everything’s fine, Tony’ when everything is certainly not fine and has gone to shit in flames. He needs Steve’s friendly comfort. He misses fighting with that idiot. Why did everything turned into a mess?

And now if Steve’s gone, who’s going to help him sort through this mess?

Tony fell asleep on the floor of the ship. Nebula didn’t wake him up. She knows that Tony lost a lot. She also lost the one person who means the most to her, but Nebula knew she had to suck it up. She can’t afford to feel broken now.

Welling oneself in sadness will not solve problems, she thinks firmly. She needs to find a way to fix this, and the number one step is to bring this miserable human back to Earth.

Nebula honestly didn’t know where to go or land on Earth, but when she neared Mars, she received a signal from the human’s home planet. It seems like someone was trying to contact the ship, and it gave her exact coordinates on where to land. Whoever that might be must be one of the Guardians. Squaring her shoulders, she began her descent.

When Tony woke up, they were already in the Earth’s atmosphere. Everything is rattling, and he was sliding down the floor to the cockpit. He groaned when his head bumped on on a sharp corner.

“Sit up and buckle up. We’re going to land soon.” Nebula told him. Tony grabbed the arm rest of a chair and pulled himself up, tugging on whatever seemed to be the seat belt.

“Where are we landing?” he asked.

“I have no idea, but someone contacting this ship gave coordinates. We’ll just have to wait and see.” Tony looked in front. Below them were dense forests and rivers. He was confused.

“Wait, where are we?”

“Africa?” Nebula read from the controls. “Okay, hold on, we’re going down.” She said before changing gears. Tony’s eyes widened when he saw them flying towards a pretty dense part of the forest.

“Wait, what are you doing we’re gonna crash!” Tony closed his eyes and waited for impact, but there was none. He peeked his eyes open, and gasped at the sight of civilization. The place must once been magnificent, Tony thought, as now the place is run down and destroyed, as if war had happened here. Nebula brought them near the biggest building there, and Tony saw people walking all around the compound. When she landed, Tony unbuckled his seat belt.

“Come on. We need to find help.” Nebula stood up and opened the door of the ship. She stepped out first. Tony slowly rose up from his seat.

What help does she expect to find? Nothing can help them at this point. He slowly made his way to the door and stepped out. When he lifted his head, he was greeted with a crowd of people. So they were in Africa, judging by the demographic. He was so distracted by the people around him, he didn’t notice the one person looking at him.

“Tony.” A voice made Tony’s head snap up. That voice. It’s been a long time, but he knows that voice. His eyes searched the crowd, and finally it landed on him. Blue eyes met his, and Tony felt his bone melting.

 _He’s alive_.

Both of them didn’t break their eye contact as Tony staggered towards him. They didn’t say anything, they didn’t need too.

Steve watched as his once great friend limped towards him. His chest hurts, seeing Tony like this. Seeing him beaten up. But it wasn’t the physical wounds that affected him. It was his eyes. Steve was shocked to see how empty it is. How... sad it looked. How it looked like Tony had given up, and to be honest, Steve was too.

Tony stopped in front of Steve, tilting his head up to still look at him in the eye. A few seconds passed, and Tony sighed as he leaned in and rested his head on Steve’s broad shoulders, body sagging to the floor. He felt Steve caught him, and instead of pushing him away like Tony feared, Steve held him close. Strong arms wrapped around his back and pulled him flush against his chest. Tony felt like crying, but he can’t. He couldn’t physically cry anymore.

“I’m sorry.” Was all he could say. Steve held him tighter.

“Me too, Tony.”

“I wanted to call. I wanted your help, but now it’s too late and everyone’s gone and-” Tony didn’t realize he was crying until he choked on his own tears and couldn’t speak anymore. A hand reached to the back of his neck and gently squeezed it, as if trying to reassure him.

“I know. It’s okay.”

“I lost everyone.”

“Me too.”

And they just sat there, holding each other, because it was the only thing that's holding him together. 


End file.
